In continuation of my previous post on Some of the Best Books I have ever read, here is a list of another 10 must read books. Hope you like these ones as well 🙂

• Papillion- Henri Charrière; Genre – Autobiographical- This mind boggling, half true story of a wrongly convicted felon, and later a fugitive from justice, is the stuff real adventures are made of. Autobiographical in nature, it traces the adventure of one Henry Charrière across prisons, continents, and alliances. His adventures last well over 2 decades, during which he forges life time friendships with the like of Louis Dega, a financial scamster, falls in love with a tribal woman who bears him a child and so on. This book is replete with adventure. I warn you- don’t pick up this book if you want to just do some time pass. Once opened, it will not allow you to put it down. There is a movie of the same name starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman

• Inscrutable Americans – Anurag Mathur; Genre – Fiction – Probably the best book ever to have come out about the experiences of an Indian village boy in America. Gopal, the central character visits the US to further his education. The plot revolves around his experiences there off, as he tries to ‘fit in’ and understand the new culture, all the while balancing his own. This book is like a long well told joke, which never loses the punch even if told innumerable times.

• Globalization and Its Discontents- Joseph Stieglitz; Genre – Non – Fiction- Joseph Stieglitz is an American economist, who at one point of time was the Chief Economist of the World Bank, and at another, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during 1995-1997 in the Clinton administration. In this book, Stieglitz highlights the role of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in the world Economy, and how these institutions are not doing what they were supposed to do. He bares all in a simple narrative, pointing out the glaring holes in the very fundamental functioning of the IMF and WB. If you want to know, why Botswana will always be debt ridden inspite of being rich in natural resources, or why African nations are riddled with poverty, this is the book to give you the answers, and get you thinking.

• Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides; Genre – Fiction- Middlesex is like a lot of novels in one big novel, with multiple stories and plots intertwining to make it gripping. Calling it slightly controversial would be an understatement. It is the story of a Greek family, and there movement into America of the 20th Century. What this book basically revolves around is the hermaphroditic nature of the protagonist- Callie. Raised as a girl, Callie discovers her maleness upon reaching puberty. The struggle within, seeps out of the book into the reader’s conscious. This book has elements of incest, gender confusion, anger and rage and finally freedom. Eugenides has created a Greek tragedy with this book. A little heavy on the senses, I would not recommend this book for anyone who does not like to venture into the unknown, for where, ignorance is bliss.

• Life of Pi – Yann Martel ; Genre – Fiction – This fantastic tale of adventure is sure to leave one smiling end to end. It is the story of an Indian boy, Pi Patel form Pondicherry. Pi’s dad owns a zoo. Pi follows three religions simultaneously- Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. But the book is not only about his beliefs. The book is about a shipwreck, which involves Pi and his family. Pi survives the shipwreck, along with a dying Zebra, a Hyena and a Royal Bengal Tiger, whom he calls Parker. Scared at first, Pi starts understanding the dynamics of these relationships. After a lot of eating around, there is only Pi and the Tiger left. The book picks up speed from here. A joy to read, and re-read, this book will captivate you every time you read it.

• Exodus – Leon Uris; Genre-Historical Fiction — Have you ever wondered why is Palestine always besieged with wars? Why can’t the Arabs let the West Bank be? What’s up with Gaza? What is the Palestine problem? If you have, this is THE book to answer your questions. It explains the struggle of the Jews to revive the nation of Palestine, and the founding of Israel. Leon Uris, the author, was a war correspondent who covered the Arab- Israeli fighting in 1956. Relentless in detail, the book has shed light on the intricate balance of power in the Middle East and the influences of England and France, in messing up the situation long beyond solution. Read it now, and thank me later 🙂

• Carrie- Stephen King; Genre – Horror — Carrie is the story of a very ordinary, very shy and plain young girl who uses her telekinetic powers to seek revenge on those who tease her. Carrie’s mother is a religious fanatic who believes in the heavens and hells beyond the ‘gates of this life’. Sinister in design, and macabre in execution, Carrie is a benchmark in dark writings. Stephen King almost never wrote this book, but was goaded by his wife to finish what he started. Another classic example of why we should listen to our wives ;). This book has been banned across many libraries in the US and the movie based on the book has been banned in Finland. Enough reason to make it your next read?:)

• Kane and Able – Jeffrey Archer; Genre – Fiction– Kane and Abel is undoubtedly one of the best fictional works of all times. The intertwining lives of the two central characters, who are world apart, literally and figuratively, makes for read that is not soon to be forgotten. Kane is the rich boy, born into wealth, with intelligence and smarts that come from the best education, and lifestyle. Abel, on the other hand, is raised in a poorest of the poor families. But with a strong sensibilities. typical of Archer’s style, this book unravels fantastic cross connections, plots, schemes, mysteries, action, adventure and deceit. Again, one of those books which one opened, cannot be shut easily.

• Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand; Genre – Fiction – I am not even going to talk about the plot of this book, as many people have already devoted careers in doing so. Enough to say, after reading this book, you won’t look at things in the same manner again. Objectivism, the central theme of the book, is brought to life through the central character- Galt. Personally, I liked Atlas Shrugged more than The Fountainhead, as the former as some direction in a plot. Sometimes, the book feels like a long long rant, but have patience, there is a lot to be taken away from this masterpiece.

• The Namesake- Jhumpa Lahiri; Genre – Fiction– Such thought provoking stories to come out from such a young mind as Jhumpa’s is truly the wonder of our generation. The Namesake, has already been made into a super hit movie. Infact it is one of the very rare movies, which do justice to the original book. I, however, am biased towards the book, simply for the reason, that the feel of the character between your fingers cannot be matched by any screen. You become the character, and the character flows through you. I cannot forget the part of the plot where the leading lady (portrayed by Tabu in the movie) gets news of her husband’s demise. That twist had hit me so hard, that I was in no position to go on reading for the next few days, simply because Jhumpa had succeeded in making me believe in the reality of her characters.